The Ottawa Redblacks (1-0) started the 2024 season on Thursday night hosting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (0-2) from TD Place Stadium. Ottawa went to work this offseason bringing guys in like former Winnipeg backup quarterback Dru Brown, Adarius Pickett, and more. The new-look Redblacks put up a fight and even Mother Nature got a say in this game.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Winnipeg defensive end Celestin Haba twisted his knee trying to sack Dru Brown and left the game with 13:31 left. He did not return to the game. On Ottawa’s first possession of the game, Dru Brown threw two passes for 38 yards leading to kicker Lewis Ward making a 12-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 11:07 left of the first quarter.
Winnipeg’s offense struggled in the first quarter. Quarterback Zach Collaros attempted to throw a short pass to wide receiver Dalton Schoen but he dropped the ball. Winnipeg’s receivers dropped a lot of balls in this game.
In addition to Winnipeg’s offense struggling, the defense had a hard time bringing guys down. Ottawa running back Ryquell Armstrong broke a tackle leading to a gain of 31 yards but Ottawa could not advance any further and punted it back to Winnipeg.
After Winnipeg went two-and-out, Ottawa punt returner DeVonte Dedmon returned the ball for 49 yards before getting tackled on Winnipeg’s 14-yard line. Ottawa running back Ryquell Armstrong got them closer to the one-yard line before backup quarterback Dustin Crum scored the touchdown using a quarterback sneak extending their lead to 10-0 with 1:36 left of the first quarter.
On the last play of the first quarter, Ottawa had the ball when Dru Brown was sacked by Willie Jefferson for a 10-yard loss. Ottawa led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter. Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown completed 3 of 6 passes for 52 yards while Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros completed 2 of 6 passes for 18 yards.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Winnipeg’s defense continued to take a hit with injuries this time defensive back Deatrick Nichols went down with 14:31 left and did not return to the game. Ottawa ended up punting the ball back to Winnipeg with 13:53 left.
With 12:49 left, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros’s pass was tipped before being intercepted by Adarius Pickett for a seven-yard return before he was tackled on Winnipeg’s 51-yard line. The turnover led to kicker Lewis Ward making a 31-yard field goal extending their lead to 13-0 with 8:51 left.
Winnipeg’s offense started to wake up later in the second quarter. Quarterback Zach Collaros threw two passes for 23 yards before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 45-yard field goal and the score was now 13-3 Ottawa with 7:16 left before halftime.
Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg running back Johnny Augustine scored a two-yard touchdown with 2:16 left and suddenly the score was now 13-10 Ottawa. With six seconds left, Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward made a 34-yard field goal for a 16-10 lead at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Ottawa had 218 yards on offense (135 yards passing, 104 yards rushing). Quarterback Dru Brown completed 12 of 18 passes (67%) for 135 yards, while running Ryquell Armstead had nine carries for 71 yards, and made one catch for three yards. Wide receiver Justin Hardy made four catches for 51 yards and Braylon Addison made one catch for 30 yards. Penalties were an issue for Ottawa in the first half. They were penalized six times for 60 yards. Ottawa’s defense made one interception and no sacks in the first half.
Winnipeg had 125 yards on offense (114 yards passing, 13 yards rushing). Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 7 of 14 passes (50%) for 114 yards and one interception. Running Johnny Augustine had three carries for 12 yards, one touchdown, and made one catch for 17 yards.
Wide receiver Nic Demski made two catches for 49 yards, and Keric Wheatfall made one catch for 21 yards. Winnipeg was penalized three times for 28 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss and two sacks.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw a deep pass to wide receiver Keric Wheatfall for 76 yards before Wheatfall was tackled on Ottawa’s five-yard line. Three players later, Winnipeg backup quarterback Chris Streveler scored a two-yard touchdown using the quarterback sneak giving Winnipeg its first lead of the game 17-16 with 7:27 left.
Ottawa’s offense was relatively quiet in the third quarter. They had a couple of drives including running back Ryquell Armstrong getting three straight carries for 17 yards and quarterback Dru Brown throwing three passes for 49 yards but the offense stalled and punted the ball back to Winnipeg twice.
With 1:50 left, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros’s pass was intercepted by Alonzo Addae but again, Ottawa’s offense stalled and gave it back to Winnipeg. On the last play of the third quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw an eight-yard pass to Drew Wolitarsky before he was tackled on their 14-yard line. Winnipeg led Ottawa 17-16 at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa defensive back Damon Webb sacked Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros with 12:06 left on second down and Winnipeg punted the ball back to Ottawa.
During the Ottawa drive, quarterback Dru Brown threw two passes for 51 yards, including a 42-yard pass to Justin Hardy before he was tackled on Winnipeg’s six-yard line. Two plays later, Brown went to Hardy again for a two-yard touchdown. However, Ottawa attempted a two-point conversion and missed it making the score 22-17 with 6:51 left in the game.
Later in the fourth quarter, Ottawa punter Richie Leone punted the ball 62 yards before the ball bounced into the endzone and out of bounds for a single point. The score was now 23-17 with 3:48 left.
Winnipeg’s offense started to move late in the fourth quarter with quarterback Zach Collaros completing two passes for 23 yards. However, Mother Nature interfered with lightning in the area and the game was delayed for nearly an hour before the game resumed.
Once the game resumed, Winnipeg’s offense had reached Ottawa’s seven-yard line. Ottawa’s defense stepped up when Lorenzo Mauldin IV sacked Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros for a four-yard loss on third down. With 20 seconds left, Ottawa punter Richie Leone ran out of bounds in the endzone for a Winnipeg safety making it 23-19.
Winnipeg did get one more opportunity. On the last play of the game, Zach Collaros threw a deep pass into the endzone intended for Drew Wolitarsky but Ottawa defensive back Monshadrik Hunter was there to break it up and the game was over. The Ottawa Redblacks defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by the final score of 23-19. For the first time since 2016, Winnipeg starts the season 0-2. The last time they started 0-2 in the season was 2016 when they finished the season 11-7 and lost to the B.C. Lions in the Western Semifinal.
Final Stats:
Ottawa had 331 yards on offense (238 yards passing, 129 yards rushing). Quarterback Dru Brown had a nice debut completing 20 of 33 passes (61%) for 238 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for one yard. Running back Ryquell Armstead had 16 carries for 95 yards and made two catches for one yard.
Wide receiver Justin Hardy had a big game making seven catches for 111 yards, and one touchdown while Dominique Rhymes made five catches for 60 yards. Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward made three field goals with a long of 34 yards. Ottawa’s defense made 29 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks, and two interceptions. Ottawa was penalized nine times for 105 yards.
Winnipeg had 309 yards on offense (285 yards passing, 42 yards rushing). Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 15 of 31 passes (48.3%) for 285 yards, two interceptions, and one carry for four yards. Running back Johnny Augustine had seven carries for 31 yards, one touchdown, and made two catches for 27 yards.
Wide receiver Keric Wheatfall made three catches for 111 yards while Nic Demski made three catches for 58 yards. Kicker Sergio Castillo made one field goal with a long of 45 yards. Winnipeg’s defense made 36 tackles, five tackles for loss, and nine tackles on special teams. Winnipeg was penalized five times for 48 yards.
Final Thoughts:
I was impressed with Ottawa tonight. Their offense did a good job moving the ball down the field. However, they kept Winnipeg in this game by getting field goals instead of touchdowns. Had they been able to score two touchdowns in the first half instead of two field goals, this game would’ve been over early.
Dru Brown looks like a starting quarterback out there. The pieces they surrounded Brown with will make it tough for opposing teams to cover. If the offense can score more touchdowns instead of field goals, they will have a chance to get back to the playoffs. The big minus for the Redblacks in this game was penalties. Getting penalized nine times for 105 yards is not good and they need to work on taking fewer penalties for the rest of the season.
Winnipeg is a disappointment so far this season. As I said last week, not playing your starters in the preseason will hurt them, and it’s showing on the field. The receivers did not do Collaros a lot of favors by dropping the ball too many times. Some of Collaros’s passes hit the guys on their hands and right between their numbers and they still could not make the catches.
Despite the 0-2 start, it is not time to hit the panic button just yet on Winnipeg’s season. This team can find a way to turn it around. They have a coaching staff who’ve been in this situation before and must dig deep to get back to what we’ve been accustomed to watching Winnipeg football for the last five years. If they continue to play like this, then you can start to hit the panic button.
Next Thursday, the Ottawa Redblacks visit the Montreal Alouettes at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers host the B.C. Lions on Friday at 8:30 pm on TSN and CFL+. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
